BEHIND THE FENCE: As ‘Lone Wolf’ Attacks get Serious Royal Guards are Relocated Behind the Fence

They are as much an iconic image of London as black cabs, red busses, or indeed the landmarks they protect, but now the Royal Guard are being removed from their sentry boxes to stand behind iron bars in an “honourable retreat”, amidst fears of a lone wolf style terrorist attack.

And for the first time since the height of the IRA threat the guards are no longer allowed to be on sentry duty alone, but are instead being shadowed by armed officers from the Metropolitan Police, the Mail on Sunday has reported.

Ken Wharfe, Princess Diana’s former bodyguard, said: “These officers are always stagnant, so an attack on them is very easy. Although the Queen’s Guards are there to protect the Royals, the actual security is done by the Met Police. But the Palace has always resisted getting rid of the Guards as they are part of the tradition. The Palace would have been consulted on this.”

The relocation of the guards has come about in part thanks to the killing of Fusilier Lee Rigby on a London street by two Islamists last year, and in part thanks to the equally shocking murder of a Canadian sentry, who was on duty near the Canadian Parliament when he was shot by a lone gunman two months ago.

Consequently, The Royal Guards, immediately recognisable in their unique bearskin caps, have been moved behind the metal gates at both Clarence House, home to Prince Charles, and at St James’s Palace, the London home of Princess Anne and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, along with their sentry boxes. Their new positions render them all but invisible to the public.

One Guards insider told the Mail: “We’re fully in favour as if an attack on a sentry can happen in Canada it can happen here. By moving behind the railings we’ve got a chance to respond, most likely saving lives. Read more at breatbart.com